Bulls center Joakim Noah and Heat forward LeBron James may tangle up a few more times in the next two weeks. / Dennis Wierzbicki, USA TODAY Sports

by USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

The first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs was unremarkable. There were blowouts galore. Only one series lasted seven games, and it was loaded with injuries and ailments. Mismatches are bound to happen in that first round, though.

The second is when the tension rises.

We know the matchups and schedule for Round 2, but who will win the four series leading into the coveted conference finals? USA TODAY Sports' NBA crew makes its picks, and we don't always agree:

NBA reporter Sam Amick: Heat in six. Barring a Derrick Rose return, the Bulls just don't have enough firepower to take down the Heat. Their impressive resolve, that stingy defense and mini-mite Nate Robinson may lead to a couple of wins, but the Heat will continue their surge to the top.

NBA blogger Sean Highkin: Heat in five. LeBron James exists.

NBA digital editor Adi Joseph: Heat in four. The three best players in this series will be James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That is simply too much to overcome for the Bulls, who might steal a game or two only if Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich get healthy.

NBA editor Kevin Spain: Heat in four. The Bulls and Brooklyn Nets had a 7-game war, taking too much out of them. The Heat are the best team with the best player. The games might be close, but the series won't.

NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt: Heat in five. Valiant. Admirable. Gutsy. Even if they sometimes leave those guts on the floor. The Bulls are all those things. Plus well-coached. Extremely well-coached. For those reasons alone, the barely ambulatory Bulls will win a game against Miami. But that is it.

Amick: Pacers in seven. If the Boston Celtics were able to get under the Knicks' collective skin (and they were), then the Pacers should have little trouble doing the same. The two teams split their season series, but the Pacers are built better for the playoffs and will move on.

Highkin: Pacers in seven. For some reason, Mike Woodson's Knicks have gone away from the offense that made them so dangerous in the regular season. Playing the Pacers' league-best defense won't help matters.

Joseph: Pacers in six. Indiana defends the three better than any team in the NBA. New York needs to find open shots for its small lineup to work. The Knicks will struggle inside, too.

Spain: Knicks in seven. At the end of the regular season, the Knicks looked like a shoo-in for the East finals, but the Celtics exposed some things. The Pacers, though, don't score enough to win on the road.

Zillgitt: Knicks in seven. It is going to take the more mentally tough team to win this series. Who gets through the difficult moments with the least trouble, that's who wins. This is the moment where the Knicks need Carmelo Anthony more than ever. He says he's ready. Is he?

Amick: Grizzlies in seven. The Thunder struggled against the perimeter-oriented Houston Rockets in Round One, but their big men will make things tough for the Grlizzlies frontcourt of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph and Memphis may not have enough of an outside attack to get this job done. Kevin Durant will keep adjusting to life without Russell Westbrook, too, which includes learning that he can count on Kevin Martin after his 25-point outing in the closeout game against the Rockets.

Highkin: Grizzlies in six. Oklahoma City's offense has fallen apart without Westbrook, and Randolph and Gasol give the Grizzlies a massive advantage in the post.

Joseph: Grizzlies in six. It's tough to pick against the defending West champions, but the Grizzlies will grind Reggie Jackson to a pulp and expose all of his mistakes. Memphis is the best defensive team in the NBA, and that will show.

Spain: Grizzlies in seven. Without Westbrook, Durant has to be huge every game or the Thunder are vulnerable. Memphis has the best inside game of the teams that are left, and it will be enough to win a close series.

Zillgitt: Thunder in seven. The hot pick is Memphis and deservedly so. But the Thunder are like last year's Heat when the Heat lost Chris Bosh due to an abdominal strain. It took Miami a few games to figure out how to play without a key player. The Thunder are doing the same right now without Westbrook, and they, too, will figure it out.

Amick: Spurs in six. The Spurs are dealing with injuries to center Tiago Splitter and forward Boris Diaw, but the ageless trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili looked ready to roll to the Conference Finals in the first round. The Warriors won't be getting much, if anything, from injured forward David Lee, and center Andrew Bogut continues to deal with his ailing left ankle as well. Golden State should have an edge on the perimeter, though, as Gary Neal and Tony Parker are no match for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the defensive end.

Highkin: Spurs in five. Way too much that had to break right for the Warriors did against the Denver Nuggets, and it's tough to imagine all of their shooters staying that hot against a much better team than the Nuggets.

Joseph: Spurs in four. The Warriors capitalized on defensive mistakes to beat the Nuggets. The Spurs don't make those.

Spain: Spurs in five. Gregg Popovich's season-long strategic moves will help San Antonio, and injuries will catch up with Golden State. The Spurs are good, rested and ready to kick it into the next gear. Curry is good enough to will his team to get a game but not another series.

Zillgitt: Spurs in six. Step right up and get your ticket to the most entertaining basketball show on Earth: Curry and the Warriors. But entertainment only lasts so long against the steady, experienced Spurs. It was a nice step for Golden State, but it ends here.